by Bill Magargal

I have attended five US Servas conferences over the years, including one I organized in 2023, but this one was the best yet. While I could point to many reasons why the conference was outstanding, I want to focus on the emotions the presenters evoked in me and why they were so meaningful.

Our first session on Saturday was the ICE panel discussion, where eight panelists shared deeply personal experiences from ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge.” It was a beautifully run, open, and heartfelt session. Their stories revealed a community moved by outrage, compassion, and courage—people rising instinctively to protect and support their neighbors: driving children to school when their parents could not, helping immigrants prepare custody documents in case they were deported without their children, and shopping for those too afraid to leave their homes.

One panelist, a schoolteacher serving as an “on-call observer,” responded to an alert about an ICE incident just two blocks from her school. She watched and recorded as agents detained a man, then sprayed a powerful “Bear” tear gas directly into his eyes from only inches away. The cruelty of that moment was hard to absorb. It did not seem necessary; it felt deliberately violent.

Another presenter described how 35,000 people in the Minneapolis metro area signed up for and received ICE observer training. What struck me was that this happened organically, without a large campaign or established structure behind it. It was simply people deciding they could not look away. One panelist, an observer training instructor, shared some of the materials he used, including the SALUTE chart of actions observers should take (see graphic). He emphasized that witnesses should never interfere with agents and should obey all lawful orders, while also noting that observers are legally permitted to record events with phones or other video equipment.

Those two hours were powerful and unforgettable. We heard how thousands of people mobilized to help their neighbors, offering whatever skills they had—something as simple as “I can cook” or “I can drive,” as well as legal knowledge, organizing experience, and much more. The session was emotional for both the presenters and the audience, and I felt it deeply too: empathy at the unfairness of it all; togetherness in realizing I was not alone in my grief and concern; hope in seeing how Minneapolis had responded; and humility in knowing I need to do more. By the end of the session, I was really choked up… The America I know and love is still here. Caring people are still willing to step forwa